In her essay called “The Lost Races of Science Fiction” published by the acclaimed science-fiction author, Octavia Butler, she wrote, “Blacks, Asians, Hispanics, Amerindians, minority characters, in general, have been noticeably absent from most science fiction. Why? […] Are minority characters—black characters in this case—so disruptive a force that the mere presence of one alters a story, focuses it on race rather than whatever the author had in mind?”.
Butler is insinuating that white has become synonymous with “racially neutral” and alluding to the fact that most minority communities present in our society are grossly underrepresented in the illustration of futuristic worlds. This lack of representation pushed the emergence of a political, social, and cultural genre called Afrofuturism.
The term Afrofuturism was first was coined by cultural critic Mark Dery in an essay called “Black to the Future.” Afrofuturism is an aesthetic embodied by black artists and writers, united by their shared interest to project black futures derived from Afrodiasporic experiences. We see Afrofuturism in the art of Basquiat, in films like Black Panther, and in the literature of Du Bois and Butler. This article explores four Afro-futuristic musicians: Sun Ra, Janelle Monáe, Flying Lotus, and Solange, each leading figures in their constructions of dynamic landscapes that converge at the intersection of experimentalism, technology, and black liberation.
Sun Ra: There’s no talking about Afrofuturism without Sun Ra; his entire existence is a seminal example of everything that is Afrofuturistic. The poet, filmmaker, and musician reported that he was born in Saturn…let’s just say his art is enough proof for me. For Ra, outer space was a frontier of freedom when Earth had only offered suffering and injury. Arguably one of the most authentic artists of all time, Sun Ra blended free form jazz and elements of ancient Egyptian and African history to create avant-garde and psychedelic sound that inspired many contemporary artists. Solange recently had the Sun Ra Arkestra open for Kenedy Center gig in D.C.
Fun fact: Sun Ra taught a class here at Berkeley called “The Black Man in the Cosmos”!
Janelle Monáe: Monáe has expertly re-rewritten sci-fi narratives like Frits Langs 1927 film Metropolis into political expressions of black liberation and queer empowerment. Listening to albums like The ArchAndriod and Metropolis is like a sci-fi rollercoaster; from a full orchestra to electronic rap to ‘00s pop. This woman has RANGE and her work has not only made a mark in the musical world but she is often written about in scholarly articles about her influence in black and queer movements. For example, a research paper written by published author Nathalie Aghoro called “Agency in the Afrofuturist Ontologies of Erykah Badu and Janelle Monáe”.
Flying Lotus: I had the chance to experience Flying Lotus’s music and light show performance twice now and it is always an overwhelming and overstimulating full-body experience. In true afro-futuristic fashion, his art is a journey of the realities of the past and present and an exploration of future horizons. His new album You Dead with collaborations with Thundercat, Snoop Dog, and Kendrick Lamar, is a must-listen!
Solange: Solange has been making otherworldly and powerful music since the beginning of her musical career, but the forty-one-minute film accompanying her new album ‘When I Get Home’ is a commanding visual embodiment of all the themes I’ve discussed of Afrofuturism. Fully unpacking the significance and artistry of this film calls for a whole other article; it can be briefly summarized as a journey through her home in Housten, a discourse on the erasure of black people in history, and just the right amount intergalactic space exploration. Solange never fails to produce art that pushes the envelope and makes fierce statements about our society.
Article by Daniella Ivanir